Sunday, October 16, 2016

Tria Hair Removal Laser 4X: Review

As someone who's not genetically blessed with a smooth and hairless body, shaving and waxing have been a part of my regular grooming routine ever since my teenage years. I've definitely pondered on the idea of laser hair removal before but the high cost and fear of pain always held me back. However, when the opportunity to test out the FDA-cleared, at-home Tria Hair Removal Laser 4X ($515 CAD) came up, I jumped right in. I've used this device for the entire three-month treatment period so today I am here to share with you my experience.......

The Device:
The Tria Hair Removal Laser 4X is quite a large and hefty gadget at about the size of a mini hair dryer. There are a variety of colors to choose from and I have here the "Honey Dew" version. The device has a rather long handle that's easy to grip and the flattened bottom allows it to stand upright on your vanity. The actual laser light is emitted from the small (1cm diameter)"treatment window" at the tip of the head. Also equipped inside the Tria device is a fan that will automatically turn on during use to prevent over-heating.

The device has a display screen on the very top and there is only one button for control. From the screen and with the help of the button, you can select the intensity of the laser emitted (there is a total of five levels). Also displayed on the screen is a battery life indicator and a pulse counter that keeps track of how many zaps you've administered in the current treatment session. Even though the device has only one button, it is very easy to adjust and use.

How it Works & Who it's For:
The Tria Hair Removal Laser 4X works by emitting a laser light that heats and deactivates dark pigments in the hair follicle. As a result, the device only works for those with natural brown and black hair, not those with blond, gray, or red hair. As the laser is absorbed by dark pigments, those with darker skin should not use the device as the skin will end up absorbing too much laser, causing injuries.
The instructions include a quick skin-tone check guide that clearly indicates which skin tones are safe to use with the device and which aren't.
Additionally, the Tria Hair Removal Laser 4X has a safety feature consisting of a "skin sensor" on the underside of the base. To unlock the device before each use, you actually need to hold the skin sensor against the skin area to be treated. The device will not unlock if the skin area is too dark.

How to Use:
To use the Tria Hair Removal Laser, shave but don't wax the area for treatment. Turn on and unlock the device and select your laser intensity level. Obviously the higher the better but stay within your pain tolerance. To treat, simply place the treatment window flush against the skin until two beeps are heard. After which, lift the device and place it back onto the skin, making sure the new position overlaps with the previous spot.
The device is tended to be used once every two weeks for up to three months (or 6 treatments). You can use this for hair removal on the upper lip, the underarms, the legs, the arms, the bikini area, but not the eye or eyebrow area for risks of eye injury.

For my hair removal treatment, I focused on my underarms for the recommended frequency of every two weeks for three months. Although I have very dark and coarse hair in the underarm area, I stuck with the second intensity level because the pain is quite intense. Tria describes it as a rubber band snapping against the skin but for me it was so much more painful! There is no residual discomfort by any means but just the instantaneous pain caused by the laser zap is sometimes too hard to bear! Keep in mind, though, that different areas of the body have different pain tolerances and the underarm area I chose to treat is considerably more sensitive.

Tria says some users may experience reddening but my skin was completely fine after each treatment. After about three or so treatments I started seeing some differences. There was a subtle reduction in the number of hairs and I notice hair growing back finer and lighter. However, the result plateaued after that and I was not able to clear the area after six treatments over three months. I'd say that there was about a 20% reduction in hair follicles but keep in mind that I was sticking with a pretty low intensity. With my dark and coarse hair, a higher intensity would probably have been more effective.

In addition to the pain, my other issue with the device is its practicality. The price of the Tria is a lot cheaper than going to a salon, but the manual labor required to use the device yourself is quite extensive. The treatment window is smaller than a penny so even to cover a small area like the underarms requires at least 100 pulses per side (depending on how much hair you have). Each time you lift to reposition the device for the next zap, you have to take extreme care that the areas overlap so that you aren't skipping any patches. So as you can imagine, this is a very time-consuming process and unless you are really concentrating, it is very easy to lose track. The best case scenario would be if you can find a friend or a family member who can actually deliver the treatment for you, which would save you so much time and effort.

Overall, I believe this is a very well-made device that will remove unwanted body hair as long as you can endure the pain. Although this is a much cheaper alternative to professional laser treatments, it's going to make you work for the results. If you are planning on treating large areas like your legs or bikini area, be prepared to invest in a lot of time and effort.